Swiss TikTok stars unite against violence against children

130,000 children in Switzerland are beaten by their parents every year. That's why on 30 April, the international «No Hitting Day», the country's biggest TikTok stars are campaigning for a non-violent upbringing for children - with a different kind of make-up tutorial.
Noemi Nikita / TikTok @noeminikita
Kris Grippo / TikTok @Kris8an
Tugce Demir / TikTok @tugcedmr61
Brian Havarie / TikTok @briann

The figures are shocking: 130,000 children in Switzerland are physically chastised by their parents every year. One in four children is affected by psychological violence. 10 per cent of parents who hit their children are in favour of this parenting method. This is why today, 30 April, has been the international day of action for a non-violent upbringing, «No Hitting Day», since 1998.

Make-up tutorials instead of make-up tips

When children experience violence, they feel ashamed and try to hide the injuries. Four of the country's biggest TikTok content creators have therefore joined forces with the Elternsein foundation to improve the situation. On the one hand, they want to show the kids that they are not alone in their situation and, on the other, that it helps to talk about it with someone they trust - be it friends, family members, teachers or (depending on the age of the child) a support organisation.

Where can affected young people get help?

Children and young people suffering from violence in the family can get support from the free 147 counselling service. The Pro Juventute counselling service is available via the internet, chat, telephone and email:
  • Telephone: 147 (free of charge, daily around the clock)
  • Mail: beratung@147.ch (free of charge, daily around the clock, a reply usually follows after 2 to 4 hours)
  • SMS: 147 (free of charge, daily around the clock, a reply usually follows after 2 to 4 hours)
  • Chat among peers: www.147.ch/peer-chat (every Monday and Tuesday, 7 to 10 pm, free of charge)

All contact options can also be anonymised. Further information at www.147.ch

To this end, the four TikTok stars Noemi Nikita, Kris Grippo, Tugce Demir and Brian Havarie have created the «make-up tutorials». As beauty and make-up experts, they are THE Swiss authority on TikTok when it comes to make-up - their make-up tutorials are clicked on millions of times.

This time, however, there are no instructions on how to properly apply make-up for an upcoming party, but rather how to conceal an injury to the face. The videos show how the TikTokers cover up a black eye. The tutorials are accompanied by the shockingly high numbers of victims of violence that are shown.

A reach of 20 million people

As around 96 per cent of Swiss 12- to 14-year-olds and 90 per cent of Swiss 9- to 11-year-olds have installed the TikTok app, the awareness campaign by the Elternsein Foundation reaches the target group directly. Around 20 million people follow the four content creators involved in the campaign.

I was shocked by this high level of violence in child rearing. That's why I wanted to encourage my young community not to hide.

Noemi Nikita

With 13 million followers, Noemi Nikita from Bern is the most-followed Swiss personality on TikTok. She says of the campaign: «I was shocked by the high level of violence in child rearing. That's why I wanted to encourage my young community not to hide, but to talk about parental violence so that the situation can improve.»

Parenthood Foundation

The Parenthood Foundation supports parents of school-age children and young people as well as interested education professionals. The aim of the neutral and independent foundation is to raise awareness, educate and inform - with current articles on the topics of family, education and school. As publisher of the Swiss parents' magazine Fritz+Fränzi, the foundation also runs awareness-raising campaigns and informs parents seeking advice with short films on relevant topics such as conflict resolution, media consumption, school anxiety, depression and strengthening social skills. The politically and denominationally independent Elternsein Foundation was founded in 2001 by Dr Ellen Ringier. www.elternsein.ch

Sources on the number of victims: Study on the punitive behaviour of parents in Switzerland (University of Fribourg), Child Protection Switzerland

Help for parents who use violence:

Physical or verbal abuse of children by parents or carers is often a sign of excessive demands. The private organisation Elternnotruf supports desperate parents and carers in various languages and around the clock.
  • Elternnotruf: Telephone: 0848 35 45 55 (landline rate) or www.elternnotruf.ch (e-mail or personal counselling possible in Zurich)